• by Les Luchter , January 15, 2024

Mucinex’s new Fast-Max Kickstart for “severe” cold and flu symptoms contains an expectorant, decongestant, cough suppressant and fever reducer. It’s being positioned as a “morning jolt” to help sufferers of those symptoms get going with their day.

The product label includes the line “Come back with a kick,” and the Reckitt brand on Tuesday will greet many New Yorkers coming back from the holiday weekend with a free dose of the major morning kick-starter not included in Fast-Max Kickstart: caffeine.

Free coffee will be handed out by baristas from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. via a popup Kickstart Café in the Oculus Center transportation and shopping hub.

The café will return Wednesday on the same schedule, but with “The Bachelor” franchise veteran Nick Viall and Mucinex’s infamous mascot Mr. Mucus handing out coffee.

“I hate getting sick, and I really don't have time for it,” according to a statement from Viall, who’s also a podcaster, actor and author.

“When those disruptive cold and flu symptoms do hit, we always feel worse upon waking up,” explained Albert So, Reckitt’s marketing director, upper respiratory brands, in a statement. “Kickstart provides powerful fast-acting multisymptom relief and instant cooling sensation.”

The product comes in a menthol-flavored liquid.

As of Monday morning, it had received three reviews -- all positive -- on the Mucinex website, although one reviewer wrote that “it tastes like you're drinking Listerine and a Camel Crush at the same time.” (Camel Crush is a controversial R.J. Reynolds menthol-flavored cigarette brand).

With the addition of Fast-Max Kickstart, the Mucinex website now lists 48 iterations of the brand.